


Sworn Oath

by Lucerna



Series: Vikara [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - The Fire Nation Won, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Azula (Avatar)-centric, Dysfunctional Family, Family Issues, Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Protective Azula (Avatar), Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Siblings, Ursa (Avatar) is a Good Parent, well she tries her best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26085190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucerna/pseuds/Lucerna
Summary: Azula doesn't hate her brother, contrary to popular rumors among the servants. (But she also doesn't like him, let's make that clear). They argue a lot over the simplest things, like tea flavors. Though younger, she knows she's always been better than him. She loves being on top. Loves the power she has from being feared. The only person more powerful than her is father.Which is exactly why she’s trembling.Seeing Zuko laying on the bed — motionless —  sends a chill down her spine.
Relationships: Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula & Lu Ten, Azula & Ozai (Avatar), Azula & Ursa (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Ursa & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Vikara [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886668
Comments: 15
Kudos: 161





	Sworn Oath

**Author's Note:**

> Zuko and Azula have a love-hate relationship in this au. They are willing to harm each other if one of them comes in the way of the other, but at the same time they will kill you if you even dare harm one of them.

Azula doesn't hate her brother, contrary to popular rumors among the servants. _(But she also doesn't like him, let's make that clear)_

Azula knows she and Zuko aren't exactly the ideal pair of siblings.

They argue a lot over the simplest things, like tea flavors. _Zuko thinks Jasmine tea is the best, disgusting. The superior flavor is obviously Chamomile_ (Secretly, they drink each other's tea just for the sake of one other). Besides tea, they'd also argue about whose firebending is better. _She knows that in terms of raw power, Zuko falls behind. But he can easily defeat her when he starts putting his brain to use._

 _A few years back, she overheard Uncle_ ~~_Fatso_~~ _Iroh teaching her brother something about bending. Zuko's bending changed after that. She tried replicating whatever he did, but she never perfected her forms in the same way he did._ _She wants to know his secret._

To the outside eyes, Azula's the prodigy. Many nobles alike elevate her status and abilities. They compare her to Zuko all the time, and she always comes out on top. _Zu-zu will never reach her level._

_She loves being on top. Loves the power she has from being feared. The only person more powerful than her is father._

Which is exactly why she’s trembling.

Seeing Zuko lying on his bed — motionless — puts a seed of doubt in her. _He was supposed to be training with father._

Logically, there are two conclusions one can come up with. _First_ , an assassin sent by the Earth Kingdom in retaliation after the Fire Nation took over their capital. Azula shakes her head. She doubts they could’ve infiltrated the royal palace. The risks are too high, and results aren’t as beneficial.

Zuko’s not the heir to the throne. He’s a spare. It would be more favourable if they had attacked cousin Lu Ten instead. _Or perhaps they mistook Zuko for cousin Lu Ten._ Azula keeps a mental note of this deep in her mind.

The second conclusion is — _In Azula’s opinion_ — very, very unlikely. _Father couldn’t have done it, right? Why on earth would he injure Zuko, his only son? It doesn’t make sense._

Prince Ozai is a man who only does things he deems advantageous towards his goal. Azula stands up from her chair and paces around the room.

_Why would father do this? It results in nothing. There’s no gain from attacking and injuring Zuko. Grandfather Azulon should already know about this. Would he retaliate against father’s actions, or would he blame Zuko for being ‘clumsy’?_

Azula spends the next three hours raking through her brain. She pulls at her hair, ruining the carefully tied updo. _It doesn’t make sense!_ The hairpiece nearly falls from her messy hair. Grabbing it, the princess throws it across the room, smashing Zuko’s mirror.

She stares hard at the broken shards on the floor, glaring as if it was the root of all her problems. Azula calls out for a servant. _But the physician made sure that no one was to disturb Zuko. Azula isn’t even supposed to be here._

_Well who cares anyway? She’s the Princess, she can do whatever she wants! Anyone who stops her will be punished for treason._

_Except father._

A distant figure appears in her mind. Tall and seething with arrogance. Azula can only see his back, but she knows the man very well. Her breaths are shallow, and _has it always been this hot in Zuko’s chambers? Sweat is flooding her entire body from head to toe._ She takes off the constrictive formal robes in favour of the casual robes stolen from Zuko’s closet.

She moves to sit on the floor next to Zuko’s bed. She tries to summon her flame for comfort, but her trembling hand puts it out the second it appears. 

_Why would father do this? why why why why why why wh_ _–_

“He wants the throne.” A raspy voice behind Azula catches her attention. Never in her life has she turned around so quickly.

“You-”

With half his face bandaged, Zuko isn’t the handsome prince the servants gossip about. His remaining eye is barely open, and he’s so still. His lips are chapped and his face is as pale as a ghost. Falling into a fit of coughs, it takes Azula a few moments before she finally comes to her senses and brings him a cup of water from the bedside table.

Zuko tries to sit up, but his body is too weak, and he falls back down with a grunt. Azula rolls her eyes and helps him drink. They sit in silence for a while, Zuko gulping down the water and Azula refilling the cup every time it runs out until the jug is empty as well.

The two siblings stay quiet after that. Azula's mind wanders away, thinking of what her brother said earlier. _‘He wants the throne’._

_What does Zuko mean by that?_

“How long have I been unconscious?” Zuko’s voice is raspy and low, barely noticeable. Azula thinks back to the last time his voice was loud. _His screams._ She shakes her head and faces him properly.

“It’s been three weeks.”

“Oh…”

“Is that all you-” Azula’s interrupted by a sudden warmth wrapping around her body. It takes — _to much disappointment_ — a minute for her brain to process what’s happening. _Zuko is hugging her. What in Agni’s name?_

His embrace is warm against Azula’s cold self. “I’m glad you’re fine.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

Zuko _snickers,_ and that moment, his arms squeeze a fraction tighter. Azula lets out a breath she didn’t realise she had been holding, and melts into the hug. Sinking into the warmth of his side, she lets herself be free. 

_It feels nice, she thinks. The last time they had hugged was a couple of years ago. There was a storm, and she came into his chambers. Who initiated the hug first, it was unclear. But it happened, and Azula never felt safer._

_After father began assigning tutors to her, their competition started. To earn father’s favour, Azula had to be better than Zuko. She trained hard, and became known throughout the nation as the Prodigal Princess. Mother and cousin Lu Ten have always been proud of her. Uncle Iroh sees potential in her. Grandfather Azulon has plans for her._

_But father never looks at her the same way as he looks at Zuko._

_Father sees Zuko as his heir. Azula notices. The first time she invented her own forms, he only nodded. There was no smile, no ‘I’m proud of you, Azula’. But with Zuko, who only managed to beat his tutor by pure luck, father gave him a dagger with his name inscribed. Zuko got a proud smile, and father’s eyes gleamed. Later that evening, father and Zuko had an audience with grandfather Azulon._

_Mother assures her every time, ‘I’m so happy for you! Your grandfather would be proud of your incredible talent!’_

_Grandfather Azulon didn’t seem to notice anything. Mother’s wrong. Her grandfather is the Fire Lord. Having a granddaughter invent her own forms isn’t something out of the ordinary, it’s to be expected._

“Azula.”

Her thoughts are halted by Zuko’s voice. It’s then she realises she’s been holding him tighter, which is probably hurting his weak body. She immediately lets go and steps back from the bed.

“I’m sorry.” Zuko has the audacity to look _guilty,_ of all things considered. He’s acting weird. Perhaps the injury he suffered actually affected his mind. 

Azula’s confused look is probably obvious, to the point that Zuko now appears worried, all the guilt gone from his expression. “Are you alright?”

“No,” Azula fakes a smile, “You’re not acting like yourself. Have you lost your mind because of the burn?” It’s insensitive of her to comment on his recent injury, but they’re taught to use people’s weaknesses to their own advantage, and she doesn’t like feeling powerless in front of him, of everyone.

To her surprise, Zuko isn’t offended by the slightest. His hand goes to the bandage covering the left side of his face. His face is neutered, like he’s already used to the scar that’s probably going to stay there for the rest of his life. And Azula finally sees.

There is no twinkle of youth in her brother’s remaining eye. With a solemn expression and downturned lips, he looks beyond his age. Azula shivers.

_Just what exactly happened to Zuko?_

Azula steps back cautiously. Her eyes stay on Zuko, daring him to make a move. There seems to be understanding in his gaze, _and she doesn’t like it one bit._

“I’m still me, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Zuko says. _As if that’s any assurance_ , Azula thinks.

“You may be Zuko,” Her voice is cold and calculative, “But you’re not _my_ Zuko.”

He lets out a breath, and holds eye contact with her. His visible eye is hard, unmoving. Azula forces herself to stand her ground. The warmth earlier is gone, replaced by fierce tension between the two benders.

“Do you know who gave me this scar?” 

_He’s trying to bluff her, it’s not going to work._

“Even here he’s still a bastard.” Zuko audibly mutters. _It seems like he’s waiting for her to ask the obvious question. Fine, she’ll humor this stranger._

“Who?”

“Ozai.”

**Author's Note:**

> This one took a while to write. Trying to find the proper mindset to write Azula's perspective was harder than I thought, but I'm sort of proud of how this turned out.
> 
> Azula and Zuko's relationship has always been complicated to the end. They may be willing to fight each other, but they also work surprisingly well together. It's like every typical siblings (except +100 bloodthirsty-ness).
> 
> I will be busy this entire month, so please bear with me if I don't post anything for a while. My school is crazy when it comes to exams and projects, especially with midterms coming up, plus I need to get extra credit this year so I can look up scholarships for college as well. (ToT)
> 
> Don't worry! I'll try to post something for my birthday as well on the 24th. Though I can't guarantee cause that day is surrounded by exams left and right. 
> 
> Please don't hesitate to comment or ask anything! I'll try my best to reply to whatever you want!


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